They project that the failure to renew the wind production tax credit, which is set to expire on December 31, could cause the wind turbine market to contract by 80 percent, putting tens of thousands of jobs in jeopardy.

FORBES: 3 Myths About America's Clean Energy Future

The fact that corn-ethanol production has continued to grow, despite the failure of a number of firms in late 2008 and early 2009, points to the efficacy of the various protections and subsidies it enjoys (falling maize prices helped too), though it says nothing about their efficiency or wisdom.

ECONOMIST: America's biofuel muddle

Its failure to drill new wells, and lower production from those it already has, caused shares of India's Reliance Industries to plunge 15% over the past year.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Four of the films on our list actually managed to earn back 100% of their production budgets, but in Hollywood, that's still a sign of failure.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In her book, Tequila: A Natural and Cultural History which she co-wrote with Gary Nabhan, she detailed her concerns that the demand for tequila and the industrialized approach to production have exposed the blue agave to dangers that could potentially lead to crop failure.

FORBES: The Science of Tequila (Snobbery)

This is an abysmal failure of free market forces to converge the end price with the cost of production.

FORBES: Insane Calculation: It Costs More To Send A Text Next Door Than To Mars

Failure to agree reasonable terms and reasonable reactions when things go wrong, and the chances are, unconventional production might have already peaked in the hardest to reach places.

FORBES: Has Unconventional Oil Production Peaked?